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Search Begins for Top Village in Kent

If you’re particularly proud of your village and you want to celebrate all that it has to offer then why not consider entering the 2007 Kent Village of the Year competition?

The competition is open to all villages in Kent with a population of 5,000 and under. Entries are invited from any organisation within a village and entrants are judged on up to six categories covering Community Life, Business, Young People, Older People, the Environment and Information Communication Technology (ICT).

The Kent Village of the Year competition is organised by Action with Communities in Rural Kent with sponsorship from Calor – the UK’s leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and additional support from BBC Radio Kent, CPRE Kent, Kent Community Foundation and Court Royal for the Older People category. Cash prizes are on offer to the winners of all six categories and there is also a prize available for the Best Newcomer to the competition. In addition, the overall winning village will be crowned the 2007 Kent Village of the Year and will have the added honour of being nominated to go forward and represent their county in the prestigious Calor Village of the Year® for England competition 2007/8, with the opportunity of gaining recognition at national level as well as a share of the £36,000 prize fund. The county’s nominee to the 2006/7 national competition, Eynsford, has already submitted its written entry and is now preparing for a visit from competition judges during April.

Competition co-ordinator Miranda Hayes is looking forward to a good response from villages to this year’s competition. She commented: “Kent villages have always responded positively to the competition, but we hope that entry levels will be up in 2007. Entering the competition can be such a positive activity for villages and we want as many communities as possible to benefit.”

Entries to the competition are invited from all villages in Kent with a population of less than 5,000. Entry forms can be requested from Action with Communities in Rural Kent online at www.ruralkent.org.uk, by email at info@ruralkent.org.uk, or by telephoning 01303 850816. The deadline for entries is 31st March with judging taking place during April, May and June. The winners will be announced at an awards evening in September.

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Further press information available from: Emma Flinn, Connectpoint, tel: 0161 817 4200, email: emma.flinn@connectpoint.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Calor Village of the Year®

Calor, the leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to those living and working in the countryside, has supported rural activities in England, Scotland and Wales for 20 years through its Rural Sponsorship programme, which includes the Calor Village of the Year® for England competition.

The Calor Village of the Year® for England competition, now in its eleventh year, was founded and developed by Calor, and is organised and funded by the company on an annual basis.

Please note that Calor Village of the Year® is a registered trademark and should be referred to in full in all circumstances.

Entry to the Calor Village of the Year® for England competition is through the existing county competition network. Every year, Calor sponsors the majority of the county village competitions – which this year total more than 40 – each of which is invited to nominate one village to take part in the Calor Village of the Year® for England competition.

The national Calor Village of the Year® judges look for well-balanced, pro-active, caring communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

The prize money for the 2007 national Calor Village of the Year® for England competition alone stands at over £36,000. First prize is £7,000 with £2,000 going to each of five regional winners. In addition, there are five category prizes of £500 within each region (covering Business, Environment, Care for Older People, Care for Young People and Information Communications Technology), and a prize of £750 for the winner of the Building Community Life category in each of the five regions. The five regional winners of the Information Communication Technology category are judged to find an overall winner, the award for which is £1,000. There is also, thanks support from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a prize of £2,000 for an overall Building Community Life winner, which is selected from the five regional winners.

For general information on the Calor Village of the Year® for England competition:
email: info@calorvillageoftheyear.org, tel: 01962 629768, or visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

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